Title: Sociology 336F Immigration and Race Relations in Canada Session 5 Majority Group Attitudes and Racia
1Sociology 336FImmigration and Race Relations in
CanadaSession 5Majority Group Attitudes and
Racial Discrimination October 17, 2006
- Jeffrey G. Reitz
- Department of Sociology
- Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies
- Munk Centre for International Studies
- University of Toronto
2Todays Agenda
- Forms of racism and majority-group attitudes
- Forms of racial discrimination
- Measurement of racism and racial discrimination
- Theories to explain racism
3Topics sequence, logic and inter-relations
- Migration
- Immigration policy
- Demographic impact
- Inter-group relations
- Majority group attitudes
- Minority group responses, communities,
assimilation, etc. - Management of inter-group relations
- Conflict
- Policies to address inter-group relations
4Forms of racism and majority-group attitudes
- Racism theory of racial superiority
- Race hatred dislike for racial groups
- Negative stereotypes negative perceptions of
racial group characteristics - Prejudice negative evaluation of performance of
racial groups - Social distance preferences to exclude racial
groups - Ethnic status social honour accorded specific
racial groups
5Racial discrimination
- Definition Act which negatively affects a member
of a specific racial group because of membership
in that group, and not because of individual
characteristics - May be
- Overt or covert
- Various motivations
- Racial attitudes
- Economic incentives
- Social pressures
6Racial prejudice vs. racial discrimination
7Indirect, institutional discrimination
- Definition discrimination which results from
application of rules which are not in themselves
discriminatory - Example (micro)
- Requirement for Canadian experience
- Macro
- Educational inflation
8Systemic discrimination
- Definition discrimination which is built into
both formal and informal organizational practices - Similar to institutional discrimination but
broader - Term introduced by Abella commission on Equality
in Employment, was basis for Employment Equity
Law - Example Health Canada
- Exclusion of minorities
- Informal and formal practices
- Attitudes
9Some further issues of definition
- Negative stereotypes what if they are valid?
- Can minorities be racist
- Is racism in the eye of the beholder?
10Measurement of racism and racial discrimination
- Problems of measurement
- Indirect questions
- Most socially acceptable prejudice social
distance - Attitudes to specific policies (immigration,
multiculturalism)?
11Ethnic status in Canada
- Anglo
- French
- North European
- East European
- South European
- Jewish
- Arab Middle East
- South Asian
- East and Southeast Asian, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean - Hispanic
- Black, African, Caribbean
- Aboriginal
12Theories of racism and racial prejudice
- Ideology of domination
- Contact hypothesis
- Threat hypothesis
- Personality e.g. authoritarian, social
dominance - Culture and diffusion
13Trends and group differences
- Education
- Age
- Minority groups
- Trends over time, modernization
14Issues for Discussion
- Is Canada a racist society?
- Should racism be confronted, or ignored?
- What about racist groups?
15Next week
- Comparative approach is Canada more tolerant